How did you come up with the name Keemosabe?
The name KEEMOSABE comes from the popular tv series/movie “The Lone Ranger”. The protagonist, Tonto, calls his friends “Kemosabe” as a synonym for “friend” or “brother from different mother”. It’s a little homage to the Native American culture, that we respect so much.
How would you describe the genre of your music?
If we had to define our music, we would say “Modern Rock Pop”: Modern in the sense that it gathers inspiration from different musical eras and genres, but in the end it is still powerful and accessible.
Give us a little bio about you!
From the shores of Italy’s Lake Maggiore come Keemosabe, a Modern Rock band whose thunderous grooves and soaring riffs belie their tranquil suburban home.
With a sound which draws upon 60s psychedelia, 70s funk, 80s video games and 90s rock, KEEMOSABE’s music is one that spans genres and is accessible to different types of listeners. Breaking down the barriers between music, art and film, Keemosabe’s sound is suitably widescreen and has seen them performing in New York, Rome, Amsterdam, Milan and London and even at photography exhibitions and tattoo conventions!
Their London dates proved a huge success, selling out both The Islington and Servant’s Jazz Quarters, whilst their popularity in Milan saw them playing the city’s largest venues, including the 3,000-capacity Alcatraz. After recording and mastering their EP at Abbey Road Studios, they were subsequently invited to perform a live show at the fabled Studio One.
What got you interested in music?
The fact that live music is still one of the most powerful ways to convey a message, and as a musician you have the power to touch people’s souls in ways no one has ever done before.
We believe that this is an amazing gift and responsibility at the same time, and we want to convey our own message to our fans.
You released your debut EP ‘Keemosabe’, tell us more about it.
It was recorded at Abbey Road Studios more than an year ago, after a successful crowdfunding campaign in which our fans gave us the incredible opportunity to record in the greatest studio of all times. After a lot of months of preparation and hard work, it is finally out and we’re really proud of it. People seem to enjoy it so this is the best feeling in the world.
What is the meaning behind the EP.
The EP talks about the search of identity, in general but also in an autobiographical way. The EP is the result of our changes during these two years together.
We’re still young and we want to explore as much musical directions as possible, so we decided to include different sonic landscapes for each track. We gathered sounds and influences from 70s Funk, 80s Dance, 90s Rock and 00s EDM.
Describe each track in two words.
Out of the City: Running, Fuzz
All Is One: Synths, rhythm
Stay Awake: Lay Down, Explore
Stay Awake (Malstrom Remix): Overturn, Pitching
What was the writing process like for the EP?
It was very sincere. These are the first songs we wrote together, in which we wanted to express all our different influences and ideas. At times it was hard to find a compromise between a catchy element and an interesting harmonic/rhythmic idea, but this is part of what we do and we can’t wait to explore new challenges on our next recordings.
What was the recording process like?
We had access to Abbey Road Studios for three days, in which we recorded and mixed most of the material. What an awesome experience! But before and after that we recorded some extra stuff at Abbey Road Institute (London) and La Sauna Recording Studio (Varese, Italy).
Who did you work with on the EP with?
Our Keyboard player, Andrea Guarinoni, mixed Stay Awake and All is One. Oscar Mapelli mixed Out of the City. The engineer Stefano Civetta assisted us during the tracking.
The whole product was eventually mastered by the great Alex Wharton, chief mastering engineer at Abbey Road Studios.
Do you have any shows coming up or a tour in planning?
If so where will you be heading?
We just got back yesterday from a mesmerising tour in the Netherlands. We’ll be playing a few gigs around Italy, especially in Rome and Milan, and we’ll get back on tour around Europe very soon. We will also come to the U.K. before the Summer, but we can’t make official announcements for now.
What else can we expect in 2019?
Well, our first album is being recorded at the moment, but before that we’ll come back with new singles and also an official soundtrack that we composed.
Do you have any collaborations coming up with any up coming artists?
We are currently collaborating with Electronic Producer Malstrom, who remixed the last track in our EP, plus we have a really close collaboration with film director Rodolfo Gusmeroli: our last Videoclip, directed by him, just won a very important award here in Italy.
New and exciting material with Malstrom and Gusmeroli will be out very soon!
Would you be up for collaborations if other musicians wanted one with you? and who would they have to contact?
Absolutely, collaborations are a fundamental part of what we do and we love to get to play with other people. We are really open to them and musicians can just drop us an email or reach out on our social media pages.
Who are your influences?
KEEMOSABE is a project born with the purpose to make accessible to the pop world complex rhythmic and harmonic concepts. The resulting product is an hybrid mixture of musical styles and influences. Foals, Queens of the Stone Age, John Mayer, Snarky Puppy, Tame Impala, Biffy Clyro and Nothing But Thieves are definitely respected mentors for us.
How do you get inspiration to write songs?
We are lucky enough to have a home studio which is a house lost in the woods of the Italian countryside. It is a really special place to us, you’re surrounded by nature and animals and nothing else. The place itself is already a source of inspiration for us: there we compose, arrange and record all our songs.
Where do you see yourself now in 5 Years?
We are devoting our life to this band. We don’t have a plan B, in 5 years we dream to be touring around the world, recording and sharing our message with as many people as possible.
When you’re not doing music, what do you do?
Well, nowadays music isn’t just about performances, rehearsals and writing sessions. An emerging band must be a team of dedicated entrepreneurs. The band is your own business and it needs a lot of attention. Hence, we spend a lot of time planning shows, figuring out how to conquer all the social media platforms, as well as trying to support other bands and making industry connections and partnerships.
What was the song you listened to most that influenced you to go more in to the music scene?
This is a really hard question for us. To be honest, the four of us have a complete different musical background. So each one of us has a slightly different taste. Good news: we share a common love for music that makes you dance. Hence, to answer this question, play Daft Punk “Random Access Memories” on shuffle, we are fond of that album.
What’s the best advice you have ever been given?
“Don’t focus your attention on all the things you can’t do because they are out of your reach at the moment. Give your best and start by making right now every little step that could help you out reaching your goals”.
What advice would you give to aspiring musicians not about the industry and just as an artist?
“Be honest with your music. Be original, be creative, be different. Don’t try to tell a story that doesn’t belong to you just because it could be mainstream. You’ll be rewarded in the long run!”
What quote or saying do you always stick by?
“When words fail, music speaks” W.S.
Where in your hometown is a must go to visit?
We are so lucky to live in a breathtaking area by the lake Maggiore, northern Italy. Every small city by the lake it’s just fascinating. Our suggestion is to visit the three islands in front of Stresa by taking the ferry boat.
Your coming off tour;
1/ Where do you go first?
We usually go back to our home studio, unload the van and then go home and get a good 56 hours sleep session.
2/ Who do you see first?
Our dogs waiting for us at the gate. Seriously, they’re probably the only ones waiting to see us.
3/What do you eat first?
We go straight to Gennaro, the best pizza in town.
When you are at a gig, what are 5 things you cannot forget?
1. Appropriate equipment
2. Interaction with the crowd
3. Interplay between us on stage
4. Properly dressing up for the show
5. Have fun and enjoy the moment
Do you have social media accounts so your fans can follow you?
Yes, of course. We have our own website keemosabeband.com and you can reach us dropping an email to keemosabe.band@gmail.com!
We are on instagram @keemosabe.band; Facebook KEEMOSABE; YouTube KEEMOSABE Band and you can also find us on Spotify and all the major streaming platforms.
Tags:Band, debut EP, Ep, facebook, instagram, italy, keemosabe, modern rock, Music, NEW, New Music, NEWS, pop, quite great pr, SINGLE, twitter, WEBSITE
